There’s a particular kind of magic that happens when you take a child to an exhibition that was clearly made with them in mind. You watch their usual restless energy settle into focus, wonder, that quiet hum of engagement that every parent recognizes as a small victory. The Love Monster: Spring Reverie of Love exhibition, running now at Li Gallery in Beijing’s 798 Art District, offers just that.

If you’ve been looking for something to do with your kids that feels a little more thoughtful than the usual weekend rotation, this one is worth the trip.

From the moment you walk into Li Gallery, your children will find themselves surrounded by the world of Love Monster. Instead of cold white walls and roped-off installations, the space has been transformed into something warm and inviting.

What makes this exhibition particularly successful for families is its pacing. It’s not so large that kids become overwhelmed or exhausted halfway through, but it’s substantial enough to feel like a proper outing. You’ll probably spend about 45 minutes to an hour inside, which for most young children is the sweet spot between “engaged” and “over it.”

And the best part, the entire exhibition is completely FREE!

Find it:
Li Gallery 骊画廊
Middle 2nd Street, 798 Art Zone
No. 2 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District
北京市朝阳区酒仙桥路2号
798艺术区中二街

Images: Toni Ma

Head over to Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) tomorrow (March 25) for the kickoff of Cultural Canvas. They’re firing up an actual steamroller for art!

This is your chance to witness the incredible spectacle of massive, hand-carved linocut designs being pressed onto paper by a full-size steamroller right on campus. It’s art on an epic scale, and you won’t want to miss it!

But this event is about so much more than the thrill of the roll. The stunning prints you see and can purchase on-site are the centerpiece of a project with a powerful mission. “The purpose of printing these artworks was to fund a project called Cultural Canvas,” a WAB student shared. Students at WAB are collaborating with an African traveling teacher to bridge continents through creativity. Together, they are working to help children in Uganda and the Congo to improve their digital literacy while uniting around a collective passion for art.

This collaboration is already sparking a beautiful cultural exchange. Inspired by the project, a student in Uganda, Maria Tereza, has begun using tablets to create content that shares her heritage. In one tutorial, she shows the world how locals in her community weave traditional baskets. Now, students at WAB are following her lead, using her instructions to weave artworks of their own, which proves that creativity knows no borders.

By purchasing a print, you aren’t just taking home a unique piece of art; you are directly supporting this incredible initiative. All proceeds go toward supporting Nyarutembe School in Uganda, helping to provide resources and digital literacy programs for students there.

The exhibition runs from March 25 through April 13 at Hub Link at WAB, so come celebrate the opening day, grab a print, and see how art is connecting kids across the globe.

Images: WAB

For most middle schoolers, a sketchbook is a private thing. It’s filled with doodles, half-finished ideas, and maybe a few pages torn out before anyone can see. For Olivia Zhang, it’s become the blueprint for some of the most popular items in her school store.

The seventh grader at Beijing Royal Experimental School has spent more than eight years on the same campus, moving from kindergarten through elementary and into middle school. Along the way, she’s quietly developed an artistic voice that’s anything but ordinary.

“I’m dedicated to exploring the collision and integration between the flowing expressiveness of traditional Chinese patterns and the structural depth of Western oil painting,” she explains. It’s a sentence that sounds like it could come from a university thesis, but for Olivia, it’s simply how she sees the world.

Her recent cardholder design puts that philosophy on full display. Chinese lattice windows and a statue of Confucius set against a Van Gogh-inspired oil painting background. It’s bold. It shouldn’t quite work. And yet it does.

Olivia’s influences come from two very different places. On her shelf sits “Examples of Chinese Ornament,” a pattern book whose flowing lines remind her of dragons and blue-and-white porcelain. But it was a trip to the UK that opened her eyes to Western art. Visits to the Scottish National Gallery, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Wallace Collection left her mesmerized by bright colors and expressive brushstrokes.

“Seeing both styles made me wonder how I could combine Eastern and Western art in one piece and bring the best of both together,” she says.

Her middle school principal, Ms. Ming Ying, sees something deeper in this approach. “This student holds a profound sense of belonging and sincere affection for our school,” she shares. “She naturally integrates iconic cultural symbols of our campus, such as the statue of Confucius, into her artistic creations, and infuses her works with her heartfelt emotions towards the school. Her creative philosophy of integrating Chinese and Western cultures aligns perfectly with our school motto, fully embodying the outstanding qualities of students nurtured under our educational philosophy.”

For Olivia, certain images recur repeatedly. Lattice windows, which she calls an art of “framing scenery,” transform natural light into poetic patterns. Different patterns carry different meanings: “Bubu Jin” and “Hui Wen” convey wishes for academic success, while “Binglie Wen” and “Haitang Wen” symbolize resilience and the pursuit of beauty.

And then there’s Confucius. His statue has stood on campus throughout Olivia’s eight years, and in her paintings, he represents something deeper.

“When Western colors burst vividly across the canvas, the calm and dignified presence of Confucius always brings the composition back to serenity and harmony,” she explains. “He is the anchor of my artistic creation, reminding me: no matter how far I venture, I must never forget my cultural roots.”

Last June, Olivia had her first joint exhibition with a friend named Amy. “It was such an exciting experience because I got to show my artwork to other people and hear what they thought and felt about it,” she recalls. “Seeing people enjoy my work made me feel proud and confident.”

That confidence soon translated into something bigger. Olivia and her friends had been sketching campus life and dreaming of turning their designs into real products that could share the beauty of their school with others. When teachers noticed their passion, they helped make it happen, establishing a cultural creative merchandise team.

The result? A collection of stationery that’s become the talk of the school store. Satellite dish sticky notes, Confucius statue file folders, and Year of the Horse limited edition card holders—all incorporating elements from the campus library’s lattice windows, the school gate, and those familiar symbols Olivia has spent years exploring.Principal Ming Ying sees this as something more than just a successful school project. “Grateful and thoughtful, she has applied what she has learned to practice, vividly expressing her love for our school through the design and creation of cultural and creative products,” she says. “She is truly an exemplary student worthy of recognition and praise.”

When asked about what makes BRS special, Olivia doesn’t hesitate. “During my more than eight years at Royal School, what I have felt most deeply is warmth and support and the care from teachers and the school.”

It’s a reminder that behind every student’s achievement, there’s a community making space for creativity to flourish. For Olivia, that space has meant the freedom to blend ancient symbols with modern design, Eastern tradition with Western technique, and classroom sketches with products her classmates actually want to buy.

“At this moment, our efforts have finally been rewarded,” she says simply.

Images: Beijing Royal School

There’s something genuinely delightful about watching a young person discover their creative voice – especially when that discovery happens through what most of us would simply call a mistake.

Ayanvitta is a 13-year-old student at Tsinghua International School in grade 8 who takes the opportunity to turn boredom into opportunities to design and create.

Most people would look at a misshapen crochet sphere and leave it at that, but Ayanvitta saw a whale. One December afternoon in 2024, she was simply practicing a double crochet stitch, working with blue yarn, when something unexpected happened. The sphere she’d intended to make curved differently than planned. Instead of frogging the whole thing and starting over, she paused and looked at what sat in her hands. To her, it resembled her whale plushy. So she kept going, adding fins, stitching a tail, letting the accident guide her. A week later, she made a bigger version. Then another. What began as a practice exercise became the accidental birth of a signature creation.

This willingness to embrace the unexpected runs through everything Ayanvitta creates. She’s built a following on WeChat under the handle Ayanvitta23, where she shares her 3D-printed experiments and crochet projects with an audience that appreciates watching her process unfold in real-time. Her work spans traditional crafts and emerging technology, from yarn to CAD software, from stitches to code.

I really loved how you said Whaley came from boredom.  Does it bother you when other kids are on their devices, and you’re not?

At first, yes. When everyone around you is on a phone or tablet, it can feel like you’re missing out. But over time, that feeling changed. I realized that while others were spending time online, I was learning new skills and creating things that meant something to me. Especially when I started writing my blogs on weekends and seeing articles get published, I felt rewarded. Now I don’t really feel bothered—I just focus on what I’m working on. Many friends of mine also don’t have a phone.

Make a case – teen to teen – why boredom is a good thing.

Boredom isn’t always bad. When there’s nothing to do, your mind starts wandering, and that’s when ideas show up. If you’re constantly entertained, you never get the chance to think or create. Being bored pushed me to try new things. For example, I love to crochet, and I have friends who also love to crochet. My teachers at school are always very encouraging; they also taught us knitting and other stuff. I love to crochet whaley, capybara, to name a few. Sometimes, boredom is just your brain asking you to be creative.

What are some of your favorite creations that you’ve made?

My favorite creation is the Functional Whaley Mouse because it represents a lot of learning, patience, and problem-solving. I also enjoy making smaller 3D-printed objects and experimenting with designs, even when they don’t work out. Every project teaches me something new, and that’s what makes creating fun for me. I’ve printed many phone stands for my grandparents and cousins, along with toys. You can see many of these on my WeChat channel, Ayanvitta23. Besides 3D printing, I also love to crochet, which lets me be creative in a different way.Do you feel that it can sometimes be difficult to be creative nowadays when AI can do so much of the thinking for you?

It can be challenging because AI makes things easier and faster. But I don’t think it can replace creativity. AI can help with ideas and tools, but it can’t replace curiosity, imagination, or learning from mistakes. Real creativity comes from trying, failing, and improving—and that’s something you must do yourself.

Tell me a bit about the Harvard Innovation Challenge Program, where you received 2^nd prize. What is it? What was your submission?

The Harvard Innovation Challenge Program is a global competition that encourages students to create innovative solutions to real-world problems. I received second prize for my project called DoneGlow. DoneGlow is an intuitive medication reminder system designed to help elderly people avoid confusion about their daily medicines. The idea for DoneGlow came from a personal experience with my grandparents. My grandmother asked me several times whether she had taken her morning medicine, even though she had phone reminders. This made me realize that reminders alone aren’t always enough, and that a simple visual system could be more effective.

You’re clearly very self-motivated. What does a typical weekend look like for you?

A typical weekend for me would be 60% of time devoted to homework and tests, 25% of my time crocheting and 15% of my time designing. Hanging out would be kind of rare, as we have a ton of tests, and sometimes we’re kind of tired and just want some time to relax at home. You’ve already accomplished so much. Looking ahead to high school, what’s a new skill you’re excited to learn, or a type of project you haven’t tried yet but want to?

In high school, I’d love to explore more advanced engineering and maybe even robotics. I’m especially interested in combining design with electronics—creating products that are not only well-designed on the outside but also smart on the inside.I also want to learn more about programming and product development, so I can turn ideas into complete, real-world solutions. I’ve recently fallen in love with coding languages and want to take it further in high school.

For now, I mainly share my 3D-printed creations on my WeChat channel, Ayanvitta23, where people can see what I’m working on. When the blog does go public, I hope it can inspire others to start creating too—not just to read about my projects, but to try their own ideas as well.

Images: Ayanvitta

We all know Taobao is a treasure trove. You can find anything from a vintage-style dress to a year’s supply of spicy noodles or a life-sized animatronic dinosaur (really). But sometimes, you stumble across something that isn’t just a product but an experience. Our latest purchase fell squarely into that category: a box of six butterfly cocoons.

Yes, you read that right. Amid the countless listings for clothes, gadgets and home goods, there exists a niche world of nature vendors selling the promise of metamorphosis. On a whim, and in a bid for a unique activity, I clicked “buy now.” A few days later, a small, carefully packaged box arrived, holding what looked like six little dried-up pistachios.

What followed was one of the most fascinating at-home, play-based learning experiences we’ve ever had. The first step was a family project: building a habitat. The kit came with the tools we needed to build a case and sticks to build a place to safely house our new cocoons.

Then came the waiting and the caring. The anticipation was a lesson in patience all on its own. And then, one day, it happened. One night, after dinner, while no one was paying any attention to them, one butterfly emerged. We watched, utterly mesmerized, as it patiently pumped fluid into its wings, transforming them from wrinkled paper into vibrant, sturdy sails.

The real magic, however, wasn’t just in the hatching. It was in the questions.

“Why are they so wobbly when they come out?”
“How do they know how to be a butterfly inside the cocoon?”
“Where did they get their beautiful colors?”
“How often do they eat?”
“Are they attacking each other?”
“Do they remember being a caterpillar?”
“Is that butterfly poop?”

I’ll admit, I was stumped. My daughter’s curiosity went far beyond my basic elementary school knowledge of the butterfly life cycle. Together, we dove into research. I was learning right alongside her, fascinated by the complex biology I’d never stopped to consider. She wasn’t just memorizing facts; she was engaging in genuine scientific inquiry, driven by a direct, emotional connection to the creatures in our makeshift habitat.

The next day, the rest of the group emerged, and we brought the habitat to her school to share the magic with her class. Then, as we had already discussed, we set the butterflies free so that they could live out their butterfly lives in the wild. We watched as they took off, a little unsteady at first, and then soared on the breeze. It was a powerful, quiet moment of letting go and celebrating the cycle of life.

Taobao is famous for its strange and wonderful items, from the practical to the bizarre. But sometimes, the strangest purchase can lead to the most normal, and most profound, of human experiences: a parent and a child, huddled together, sharing a sense of wonder at the natural world.

Click on the link below to get yourself a kit. Enjoy the wonders!

Images: Mina Yan

It’s a sunny Sunday in the CBD, in the cool, high-ceilinged gallery space of Espace Louis Vuitton Beijing – an outpost of the Louis Vuitton Foundation art museum in Paris. The “LV” could stand for little-visited, compared to its better-known retail sibling at Guomao (China World Mall). Find this outdoor storefront and next door you’ll step into the gallery, which hosts changing, thoughtfully curated exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. Currently, “Painting from Nature” is on display until October, showcasing works by abstract expressionists Joan Mitchell and Megan Rooney.

But today, a group of children are enjoying Espace LV not only as museumgoers but as budding artists. They are under the tutelage of Jennifer Chung, known to her young clientele as “Ms. Jen,” the founder and director of JEN Art Academy. She begins with a tour of the artworks, drawing out children’s interpretations: “The yellow looks happy,” says one child about a vibrant triptych by Mitchell, while another sees “a magical forest” in Rooney’s echo of Monet’s Waterlilies.

Next, the children settle at their workstations to create: silk paintings layered with gold foil and mounted on canvas. Drawing from the exhibition’s expressive vision of nature, their silk-and-gold creations echo the exhibit’s themes while reflecting something entirely their own. It’s this kind of intentional, layered learning that Jen imbues into every program she leads.

Jen’s own journey took her from high school in Hong Kong to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) – often dubbed the “Harvard of art schools” – for a degree in textiles. “RISD was life-changing,” she reflects. “I found a community of passionate, like-minded creatives who pushed me to grow and consistently develop original ideas. Anticipating today’s AI-driven world, RISD gave me the tools to lead with creativity.”

After graduating, Jen entered the fast-paced world of luxury fashion, working with brands like Dior, Versace, and Van Cleef & Arpels in Hong Kong. “Understanding the business side of global luxury was eye-opening,” she says. “I was fortunate to gain that firsthand.”

After moving to Beijing in 2017, Jen deepened her experience in educational leadership – first as principal of a local arts high school, and later as art education director at Dulwich College Group, where she designed a specialized arts track. “The pathway allowed students to spend three out of five school days fully immersed in art and design,” she explains. “I developed a comprehensive curriculum that combined concept and theory classes with foundational skills training. Most importantly, they completed their entire university portfolio during class time – giving them the preparation to get into their dream schools and thrive once they got there.”

In 2023, JEN Art Academy was born from a gap Jen encountered over and over in her work with students and families: Many young people dream of entering creative fields – architecture, fashion, animation, game design – but lack the structured support to get there.

“There’s a real gap,” Jen says. “So many talented students don’t know how to build the kind of portfolio top-tier universities are looking for. That’s where we come in.”

Located in Beijing’s Chaoyang District near the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), JEN Art Academy offers a clear, age-based progression to support students from the earliest stages to competitive college applications:

• Grades 1-4: early exposure programs that spark curiosity and build foundational skills through weekend classes and summer camps
• Grades 5-8: pre-portfolio foundations with a focus on drawing, design thinking, and visual storytelling
• Grades 9-12: intensive portfolio preparation for students applying to leading global art and design universities

The Academy’s curriculum is built on the RISD approach, leveraging creativity as a tool for original problem-solving. “It’s never just about technique,” Jen emphasizes. “We teach students to think like designers, starting with observation and exploration then moving into self-expression, innovation and confidence.”

This summer, JEN Art Academy invites young creators ages 6-13 to explore three immersive camp themes that spark imagination and build hands-on design skills. In Super Mario Game Design, kids reimagine their favorite game universe by designing characters, power-ups and fantastical worlds. Primitive Pioneers takes campers back in time to invent tools, build shelters and experiment with tribal-inspired fashion. And in Historical Horizons, students journey through ancient civilizations, bringing history to life through architecture, jewelry-making, animation and more. Each five-day camp is led by Jen’s team of educators and taught in English, with bilingual support available.

 For high school students aiming for top global art and design universities, JEN Art Academy offers a rigorous College Prep Program. Drawing from her experience as a former RISD admissions officer, Jen has crafted a curriculum that mirrors the creative rigor and originality elite schools expect. Students develop concept-driven portfolios tailored to institutions like RISD, Parsons, and UAL, while receiving one-on-one mentorship throughout the entire application process, from idea generation to personal statements and interview prep. With a blend of real studio practice and design thinking, the program equips aspiring creatives to apply to top schools – and it currently boasts a 100 percent acceptance rate.

“I am super proud of our students and of our team who nurture their talents,” Jen says. “We’re growing fearless, original thinkers for the future.”

Find it:
JEN Art Academy
B02, Cathy Plaza, 2 Xiangjiang Beilu, Chaoyang District (next to Rivera/Roundabout)

 Images: Tara Fegelein, JEN Art Academy

If you’ve ever visited a temple fair or been to a food or night market in China, then bets are you’ve probably seen sugar paintings being sold off to eager passersby. This Chinese sugar art is a traditional Chinese folk art with a long history dating back hundreds of years.

Sugar painting (糖画 tánghuà) was part of popular street culture back in the olden days. Although much less common nowadays, you’ll still find them at temple fairs during Chinese New Year, on sale in some parks, and on sale at a few shops in Beijing.

These edible “paintings” are made from boiling saccharose and maltose, and the first key thing to making these intricate shapes is to control the temperature properly. If the temperature is too high, the syrup will be too watery to shape; if the temperature is too low, the syrup will become hard and difficult to stretch. The hot sugar syrup is drizzled onto a marble slab in the desired pattern and then becomes solid as the temperature cools, which means that another key part of making a perfect sugar painting is speed!

Sugar painting should be done smoothly in one continuous stream, and there can’t be any breaks in the painting process. Sugar painters don’t use stencils, and instead rely on images they’ve memorized in their minds.

The most popular patterns are dragons, phoenixes and the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, however these folk artists are also able to paint all kinds of animals and flowers. The paintings can be completed in as short a time as one minute! As soon as the painting is finished, a bamboo skewer is pressed and attached to the syrup. Once the sugar painting cools, it will be removed from the marble slab using a spatula-like tool.

Sugar painting can be traced back to the Ming dynasty when people used syrup to cast statues of Buddha figures for religious rituals. In the Qing dynasty, this was gradually simplified and popularized, with peddlers creating various patterns that represent good luck and fortune rather than Buddha figures, and the treat soon became a popular sought-after snack for children.

In 2008, sugar painting was listed as one of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage items. Although it is not so commonly seen on the street now, the artistry continues to be passed down from generation to generation, and for many Chinese people, these edible paintings carry sweet memories of our childhoods.

It’s no wonder why little kids today are still obsessed with stopping for a few minutes to linger in awe every time there’s a sugar painting stand nearby. My daughter is obsessed with them, and being the arts and crafts addict myself, learning how to sugar paint is pretty high on my to-do list.

But, finding someone who can teach you how to make everything from scratch and let you practice on their equipment might not be an easy task. That’s where Taobao comes in. You can find everything on there, even a kid-friendly pen that lets you sugar paint at home with very little effort for less than RMB 100.

Much like a 3D pen, this comes with sticks of hardened sugar that heat up and melt once they’re inserted into the cute carrot-shaped pen. It comes with stencils and a cooling rubber pad for kids to trace their favorite designs on. Like with the real street artists, these also cool relatively quickly and makes for a pretty fun afternoon activity at home and is definitely a hit at school fairs and house parties.

Images: Taobao, Canva

For kids and parents who are infatuated with the wonders of the ancient world, the newest mummy exhibition at 798’s Meet You Museum is a must-see. This exhibition, titled “Meet Ancient Egypt: Mummy Life and Death in Ancient Egypt,” has drawn the attention of many history and culture enthusiasts.

Currently on display until Feb 16, 2025, this exhibition showcases a remarkable collection of 123 pieces of precious ancient Egyptian artifacts sourced from the Museums and Special Collections of the University of Aberdeen in the UK. Among the highlights are two extremely rare female mummies along with their coffins. Additionally, there are mummies of animals, mummy wrappings, noble jewelry, statues of gods, murals, canopic jars, and cosmetic utensils from ancient Egypt.

Divided into four sections – “Mummies and Immortality,” “Beauty and Protection,” “Gods and Humans,” and “Offerings and Rituals” – the exhibition presents the mysterious history and the concept of eternal life in ancient Egypt from various perspectives. The spatial design replicates the architectural style of ancient Egypt, and the display of exhibits recreates their actual usage scenarios and arrangements, with a pyramid-shaped display case adding to the authenticity.

For the kids, the exhibition features several interactive elements. Visitors can explore ancient Egyptian temples and interact with ancient Egyptian deities. There is also a “Papyrus Research and Learning” activity where visitors get a more immersive experience and better understand ancient Egyptian culture by making papyrus themselves. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to step into the world of ancient Egypt and unlock its secrets right here in Beijing.

The exhibition is open daily and tickets start from RMB 36.

Find it:
Meet Museum · Beijing 798 Art District, E02-1, Ceramic Street, 798 Art District
遇见博物馆·北京798馆，798艺术区陶瓷一街E02-1楼

Images: Dianping

The International High School Battle of the Bands is happening this May 5 at Modernista, one of Beijing’s most distinctive live music venues.

One of the faces behind the success of this 12-year-old venue is Nuria Cimini, Modernista co-owner and event organizer. Originally from Barcelona, Cimini has been living in Beijing since 2006, when she arrived to complete her studies in Chinese language. After some years, in 2011, she opened Modernista along with three other friends, driven by her love for music and creative entrepreneurship. She has organized, and mostly witnessed, more than 3500 live music shows at Modernista.

Cimini has been essential to the success of this event and has also agreed to serve as one of our panel of judges for the contest. As a veteran of booking and enjoying hundreds of bands over the past 10 years, she’s in a perfect position to do so.

1. Can you give a brief history of Modernista? What makes it one of Beijing’s most unique establishments?

Modernista started in 2011 as a casual endeavor among friends. We were just a group of friends wondering what it would be like to expand our living room space into a bigger playground where we could keep exploring and nurturing what Beijing had to offer in the years after 2008.

I think it’s a pretty accurate expression of the place and the time where it was born, and of the people who have been part of it. It’s nothing you can easily reproduce; it’s unique and has a lot of personality, because it was a project conceived a lot more as a personal life changing experience, much less as a business.

Over the past 12 years, Modernista has become a cherished part of the people who called it home. It has grown from a small bistro to a two-story cocktail bar and restaurant, hosting daily performances and employing two dozen people.

2. How has live music evolved in Modernista?

We always had live music in our minds when we started, but our resources were very limited in the beginning. We only had a very small, intimate stage next to the entrance window. Our neighbors wouldn’t allow anything like a drum set (not that it could fit anyways), so bands who were playing at that time had to figure out a lot of things. Live music was a part of the scene but not Modernista’s centerpiece.

When Modernista expanded to the bigger space in 2014, we had more resources and more experience: We built the space as we had imagined at the beginning, with a full round balcony that puts the stage at the center of the space, in the style of traditional theaters and cabaret houses in Europe. We paid a lot of attention to how things sound and how both the audience and the performers would experience the space. The work we did at that time helped develop a richer live music scene and really put the artists in the spotlight, creating some unforgettable experiences for both the musicians and the audience.

3. Given the sheer number of shows you’ve watched over the years, can you offer some advice on how a band can deal with stage fright or technical issues during their performance?

When you’ve witnessed many shows, you can see a lot of things going on the stage which most people in the room wouldn’t notice. Sometimes equipment fails, musicians are nervous or a bit lost, or there are disagreements on stage. In those cases, most of the audience can’t really tell.

I remember an extreme case once when half of the band just decided to stop playing in the middle of a song because of some argument they were having and everyone noticed something was going on, of course.

Some technical issues can really disturb a performance if not handled properly. That’s why it’s important to have technical professionals that musicians can trust to assist them as much as possible. We have that here at Modernista, and I believe that really makes musicians more comfortable when playing here.

4. What are some of the factors that make a band stand out from the crowd and impress the audience?

Music has the advantage in that it can be communicated without words, so when musicians interact with their audience, they can choose to do it in many different ways.

Each band’s style varies and the energy also depends on the audience you have.

There are so many shows that have created a memorable impression both on us and the public, and all for different reasons. Some musicians aren’t necessarily great stage performers, but their craft is incredible, and they are cohesive and smooth. The experience is well thought and put together nearly perfectly. That’s more than enough to really impress the audience.

On the other hand, some bands are really good at the interactive and stage presence part of the experience. They are full of fun ideas and very creative, they know how to put a show together and get everyone to have a blast, even without being technically perfect. Often a combination of both elements works best.

Then there are times when there is just a talent so inspiring or the music is so beautiful that it just hits you and you can’t really explain how.

5. Tell us about some of the more memorable shows you’ve witnessed at Modernista.

I remember specifically a night when Trinidad and Tobago singer KC covered Prince’s hit Purple Rain. The entire room just held its breath and tears while watching.

Another was a particularly mind-blowing Miles Davies tribute by the J. Kyle Electric Band. It was so powerful that the musicians finished the show and left the stage in silence, with the room in silence too. That alone was truly impressive.

On a different note, our most shocking experience was Zimbabwean dancehall performer Winky Di. He had a room full of crazed fans waiting for hours on end, just for him to appear suddenly around midnight, jump directly on the stage from the back of a car and give a frenzied hour-long performance. I don’t believe he had time to breathe even once. He disappeared exactly the same way he came, just like a magician. I’ve never seen people so angry, then so happy.

Finally, sometimes it’s also the audience who build a memorable impression alongside the band, simply because the interaction during a performance always goes both ways. For example, the energy shown in our long-standing Brazilian nights which date back to 2012, including bands such as Mama Funker, Templo do Samba and more recently Quebra Cavaco. Or the vibrant energy that emerges every time cult band Gong Gong Gong has played. This is because of the way these bands and their audience interact so intimately and casually at Modernista in comparison to other big stage venues.

Don’t miss this chance to witness Beijing’s 12 best high school bands battle it out at Modernista on the afternoon of Sunday, May 5 – and raise money for a good cause at the same time! Tickets will go on sale later in March, stay tuned to Jingkids & the Beijinger for announcements.

The event is sponsored by Modernista, Our Learning House, Jingkids, the Beijinger, Home Plate BBQ, Confident You, and Brevity of Motion Sounds.

We’re also looking for additional sponsors and volunteers. If you are a sponsor, you will get tons of exposure and a chance to connect with international school students, parents, and administrators. If you are a volunteer, you will have a blast and gain valuable experience. If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please send an email to 25eloisew@wab.edu.

Images: Modernista